Apparatus for filling and packing cans



(No Model. 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. L. GREGG. v

APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND PAOKING CANS. No. 399,884. fl'igaented Mar.19, 1889.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. L. GREGG.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING AND PACKING CANS.

' No. 399,884. Patented Mar. 19, 1889..

if r y x ,y V I I? l 7? j N. PEYERS. Phnm-Lnhn m her. Wwhinglcn. D. C,

' (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3. S. L. GREGG APPARATUG FOR FILLING ANDPAGKING CANS. No. 399,884.

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mvtmeo w I g! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOLOMON L. GREGG, OF GREENE, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR FILLING'AND PACKING CANS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 399,884, dated March 19,1889.

Application filed April 19, 1888. Serial No. 271,142. (No model.)

' corn and other vegetables; and it consists in the peculiarconstruction and combination of devices, that will be more fully setforth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is perspective view of a canfilling and packing machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is acentral 'crtical transverse sectional view of the same.

A represents a table or base, which is provided at its corners withsupportingdegs B. From opposite sides of the said table or base, at thecenter thereof, proj ectapair of vertical standards, 0, provided withvertical slots D, which extend a considerable distance downward. fromtheir upper ends.

E represents a vertical standard which projects from the upper side ofthe table at a point midway between and 1n line with the standards O.The said standard E is provided with a vertical central bore or opening,in which is journaled the lower portion. of a vertical shaft, F, the endof the shaft projecting through the said standard and the table, asclearly shown.

G represents a circular platform, which is secured on the standard E,and is provided on opposite sides with vertical circular openings H. l

1 represents a hub which is rigidly secured to the shaft F, and isarranged above the platform G. The said hub is provided with aseries ofoutwardly-proj ecting curved engagingarms K, which are adapted to sweepover the platform G when the shaft F is rotated, for the purpose to behereinafter described.

L represents a circular platform, which is arranged on the upper end ofthe hub, and has a central opening through which the shaft F extends.Opposite sides of the said platform L are secured to the standards 0,and thereby the said platform is securely held against rotation.

M represents a revoluble measuring and filling head, the construction ofwhich is as follows:

N 0 represent an upper and lower circular plate, respectively, whichhave their central portions connected by a hollow vertical sleeve, P,and are connected near their outer sides by a series of verticalmeasuring and filling tubes, R, which are arranged in a circle and theends of which extend entirely through openings in the upper and lowerplates. The lower plate, 0, is provided around its edge with an annularseries of gear-teeth, 2,which are engaged by a pinion, 3, on the innerend of a shaft, 4, journaled transversely in one of the standards O, andhaving its outer end proj ected beyond said standard, and provided witha crank-handle, 5, as shown. The purpose of this pinion and series ofgear-teeth will hereinafter appear.

S represents a circular hopper, which is arranged on the upper side ofthe plate N, and has opposite sides rigidly secured to the standards C,said hopper being thereby firmly secured between the said standards. Thebottom of the hopper is provided at diametrically-opposite points withopenings T, with which the upper ends of the tubes R successivelyregister as the measuring-head rotates. A transverse plate, U, isarranged 011 the bottom of the hopper, and is provided near its endswith openings V, which are arranged midway between the openings T andcommunicate with similar openings in the bottom of the hopper. The saidplate 'U is provided at its center 011 opposite sides with a pair ofcentral vertical ears, W, having bearings at their upper ends, in whichis journaleda shaft, X. At the ends of the said shaft are stirringwheelsY, and at a suitable distance from the center of the said shaft isabeveled wheel, Z, which meshes with a somewhat larger wheel, A, on theupper end of the shaft F. The stirring-wheels Y are arranged directlyover the Openings T, as shown.

B represents across-head, which has its ends guided in the slots D ofstandards C;

The said cross-head is provided at its ends with projecting studs C towhich are pivoted the upper ends of a pair of depending arms, T) one ofsaid arms being provided. with a suitable transverse opening, so that itcan clear the shaft l, as will be readily understood. The lower ends ofthe said arms are enlarged and widened to form frames E, which. areprovided on their inner sides with vertical racks F G, and are providedat their upper and lower ends with racks It and I, respectively. Fromthe outersides of the standards 0, near the lower ends thereof, projectspindles or studs K, on which are journaled spurwheels L", the saidspur-wheels being arranged in the frames E and of such diameter thattheir teeth can only engage one set of the rackteeth at a time, the armsD being thereby allowed a slight oscillating motion. From the cross-headl3 depend a pair of rods, M, having plungers N at their lower ends,which normally fit in the openings V, and are adapted to be forceddownward through one pair of the tubular fillers and measurers R whenthe cross-head descends.

0 represents a shaft, which is arranged transversely under the table A,and is journaled in suitable bearings that depend from the said table.One end of the said shaft is provided with a fast driving-pulley, P, anda loose pulley, R, and the said shaft is further provided with rigidspur-wheels S, which are adapted to engage the pinions L, and near thecenter of said shaft is a beveled gearwheel, T.

The lower end of the shaft F depends from the table A, is provided witha double pulley,

. U, and has a beveled wheel, V, at its end that is adapted to beengaged by the wheel T.

The wheels S are each provided with peripheral teeth, which extendaround 2 vothirds the circumference of the wheels, the said peripheralteeth on each wheel being separated by open spaces W, each of which isequal to one-sixth of the circumference of the wheel. One side of theperiphery of the wheel T is also plane-that is to say, the teeth of tinsaid wheel do not extend entirely around the circumference thereof. Onthe inner side of one of the wheels S are crownteeth X.

Y represents a shaft, which is arranged longitudinally under one side ofthe table A and is journaled in bearings Z that depend from the saidtable. The said shaft is provided with a spuravheehA that engages thecrown-teeth X of one of the wheels S, and to one end of the said. shaftis secured a pulley, B

In suitable bearings, which project from opposite edges of the table A,at the center thereof, are journaled longitudinal rollers 0 The saidrollers are connected by transverse endless belts or aprons D and saidrollers and said belts or aprons constitute endless conveyers, which arearranged under the platform G. One of the rollers U is connected to thepulley B by means of an endless belt, E and thereby power is conveyedfrom the shaft Y to the conveyers, so as to cause the latter to operate,may be readily understood.

F represents a pair of circulartables, which are supported on the upperends of shaftsG' that project from the upper side of table A. The saidtables F are arranged on opposite sides of the platform G and have theirinner opposing edges extending a slight distance over the said platform.The shafts G are provided at their lower ends with pulleys H which areconnected to the double pulley U by means of endless belts I Partiallysurrounding each table F is a flange or side, K separate therefrom andsupported by vertical standards L that project from the upper side oftable A. The said flanges K extend nearly around the tables F and leavethe inner edges thereof open, as shown. Each table F is further providedwith a curved flange, M which is secured to and extends inward from theflange K and forms a guide, the outer side of which is parallel with theopposing opposite side of the flangeK These flanges M guide the cansinto the path of the arms K when the machine is in operation.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The cans a to be filledwith corn or other vegetable are placed on the tables F and the corn orother vegetable to 'be filled into the said cans is placed in thehopper. The machine is then put in motion, which causes the shaft F torotate and thereby impart motion to the shaft X, so that thestirring-wheels Y are caused to revolve in the hopper, so as to preventthe corn or other material from becoming lodged therein. The capacity ofeach tube R is equal to the capacity of one of the cans, and the saidtubes are caused to register successively with the openings T and V byrotating the pinion 3 by means of the shaft 4 and crank-handle 5, andthereby turning the plate 0 and revolving the head. The platform L has apair of openings which are in line with the openings V, and hence itwill be understood that the lower ends of the tubes R which are not overthe said openings will be closed by the said platform. The rotary motionof the shaft F is communicated to the hub I and the sweep arms K thereofby reason of said hub being fast to the shaft F, and the rotary motionof said shaft F is also communicated to the tables F by reason of thedouble pulley and' endless belt previously described. The teeth of thewheel T remain in gear with the teeth 'lVhile the tubes R are under theopenings T they become filled with the corn or other material from thehopper, and when the head singly.

begins to revolve the tables F and the sweeparms K also partly rotate,thereby causing the tables to each move one can within the path of oneof the arms K, and the said arms sweep the said cans from the tables Fonto the platform G and range the said cans directly under the openingsin the platforms L and in vertical alignment with the openings V. By thetime the filled tubes R are carried over the said cans the teeth on thewheels S come into engagement with the pinions L, and the cross-headbeing at the upper limit of its movement, with its racks F in engagementwith the pinions L, the rotary motion of the latter causes the arms D tobe drawn downward, and the cross-head descends and forces the plungers Nclownward through the filled tubes, so as'to discharge the contents ofthe said tubes into the cans. At this instant the upper racks, H, engagethe pinions L and the rotary motion of the latter causes the arms D tomove laterally, so as to disengage the rack-bars F from said pinions andbring the racks G into engagement therewith, and said pinions therebymove the arms D upward and consequently cause the cross-head to withdrawthe plungers from the tubes R, at which instant the pinions L come intoengagement with the racks l and thereby swing the arms D back to theirinitial position, with the lower ends of the racks F in engagement withthe pinions L. At this instant the toothed portion of the wheel T comesin engagement with the wheel V and thereby causes the hub having thearms K to partly rotate, so that the cans which have been filled will becarried by a pair of arms, K, over the platform G to the openings H anddropped through the said openings onto the conveyers D Said conveyerscarry the filled cans to one side of the table, where the cans areremoved by an attendant and sealed. The flanges M prevent the canspassing onto the platform G, except bypassing across the end of theflange, so that the cans must pass onto the said platform As the tablesF rotate, the cans will be brought against the curved ends of theseflanges and thereby directed onto the platform G.

It will be readily understood, of course, that in practice the rods 1and the racks F G will be about equal in length to the height of themeasuring-tubes in order to secure the proper operation of the machine;but in the accompanying drawings I have been forced, in order toeconomize room, to illustrate these rods and racks somewhat shorter thanthe tubes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of theplatform L, having the openings, the revoluble head, comprising theupper and lower circular plates and the tubes extending verticallybetween the same and adapted to align successively with said openings,and the hopper arranged above the revolving head and having the openingswith which the tubes successively register, substantially as described.

2. The combination. of the stationary platform G, having the openings H,the revoluble hub having the arms K, and the revoluble tables F havingthe guides adapted to direct cans placed on said tables into the path ofthe arms K, substantially as describe-d.

The combination of the revoluble head, comprising the plates N and O andthe vertical tubes R, the hopper at the upper end of the head having theopenings T and V, with which said tubes successively register, theplatform L under the revoluble head, having the openings with which thetubes successively register, and the vertically-movable plungers adaptedto pass through the tubes when the latter register with the openings V,substantially as described.

4. The combination of the revoluble shaft F, the revoluble headcomprising the upper and lower circular plates and the tubes extendingvertically between said plates, the wheel A at the upper end of saidshaft, the hopper at the upper end of the revoluble head, having theopenings T, with which the tubes successively register, and the shaft X,journaled in the hopper, having the wheel Z, engaging wheel A, andprovided with the stirrers Y, arranged over the openings T,substantially as described.

5. The combination of the revoluble head, comprising the plates N O andthe tubes R, the stationary platform under said head having the openingswith which the tubes successively register, the hopper at the upper endof the revoluble head, having the openings T and V, with which the tubessuccessively register, and the vertically-movable cross-heads having theplungers adapted to pass through the tubes which register with openingsV, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the driving-shaft O, the revoluble measuring-headcomprising the plates N O and the tubes R, the platform L under saidhead having the openings for the purpose set forth, the hopper at theupper end of the revoluble head having the openings T V, thevertically-movable cross-head having the plungers guided in the openingsV, the oscillating depending arms D, connected to the cross-head andhaving the frames at their lower ends provided with the racks F, G, H,and I, and the pinions L, adapted to engage said racks and geared to theshaft 0, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

SOLOMON L. GREGG.

Witnesses:

FELIX R. SULLIVAN, JAMEs O. G. UNDRIOH.

